Rent or bor­row used text­books– Besides room and board, text­books are a major col­lege expense that hits most stu­dents’ pock­ets hard. Buying brand new text­books each semes­ter can cost hun­dreds of dol­lars and become finan­cially drain­ing by the end of the year. Websites such as chegg​.com and bookrenter​.com give stu­dents an afford­able alter­na­tive to help avoid high costs in col­lege bookstores.

Research your major– At some point, most col­lege stu­dents decide to change their major. This often results in hav­ing to take more courses and ulti­mately means more years spent pay­ing tuition. Before choos­ing a major, research its future career poten­tial. Is this some­thing you could see your­self doing ten years from now? Asking this could save you from pay­ing off long-term col­lege loans.

Avoid credit cards– By the time most peo­ple enter col­lege, they have been offered dozens of credit card options. Credit cards can be a good way to build credit, how­ever, most col­lege stu­dents are not finan­cially sta­ble yet and can find them­selves falling into more debt.

Open a sav­ings account– This is a great way of keep­ing track of your per­sonal funds. Also, hav­ing a sav­ings account keeps your money safe and helps avoid the impul­sive spend­ing that comes with car­ry­ing cash.

Get a part-time job– Part-time jobs are a great way to make extra cash and poten­tially net­work with the cam­pus. Cafeterias, book­stores and admin­is­tra­tive offices allow stu­dents to make money and meet peers and pro­fes­sors who can help them adjust to col­lege life.

Ride a bike– A major ben­e­fit of most col­lege cam­puses is the fact that mostly every­thing is nearby. Choosing to ride a bike can save money spent on gas, insur­ance and con­stant car expenses. It can also help you avoid the headache of try­ing to find a park­ing space five min­utes before class! n